Assassin vs Walkers
by SpringBorn
Summary: Kiara is an assassin and has been on countless assassination missions and she thought she would be prepared for anything. But when she has to survive the apocalypse while protecting the president's daughter and her new friends as well as falling in love, can her training and will to survive be enough?
1. Prologue

Assassin vs Walkers

By Springborn

Prologue

 **Author's note:** I've been wanting to do a Walking Dead fic for awhile now but was too nervous to write one but thanks to EasyCompany506 I was able to. He encouraged me to write this and post it. So thank you!

Day before the nightmare…

Kiara stood in the oval office, her amber eyes narrowed in confusion as she looked at her boss and friend, President Avery. He sat in his chair, looking exhausted. He stared up at the young woman in front of him, his blue eyes darkening with concern and worry. He looked older than forty as the frown lines in his face deepened. "My friend, I know I have asked a lot from you during your years of service here but I must ask you one last favor" he said. His eyes darted to the news on the T.V. For the last four weeks, cannibalistic attacks have been reported all over the states and the world. The government has been reporting it as a viral disease and recommended people to stay in their homes. US armies have been called in, putting martial law in some of the states that has been heavily affected by the disease. Sadly it is only getting worse as the disease like plague spread across the world and with no end in sight.

"What do you wish of me?" Kiara asked her Irish accent thickening with worry as she tried to keep the emotion controlled. She has worked for the president since she turned twenty as an assassin. Her family has been hired for their services for years. "You can ask me anything, Avery."

Avery smiled and nodded. "I want you to take my daughter, Ashley, and get away from here" he said. "I have a car packed with supplies, food, water, clothes, survival equipment and weapons. Everything you and Ashley to survive out there, I hope. I'm afraid that disease will cripple the world as we know it."

Kiara blinked in surprise at this and could feel her chest tightening at the request and stared at man in front of her and moved her gaze to the picture frame on the desk. It showed a young girl, about five years old, smiling at the person who took the picture. She has honey blond hair, bright blue eyes like her father, dimples that showed as she smiled happily. She had spent some time with the girl since she had been born and bonded with her. "Ben…are you sure? Surely this thing, this disease, can be cured?" she said. He nodded, looking very serious.

"Yes. I don't trust anyone else with her but you" Ben said and stood up, putting his hands behind his back. "It's starting to get harder to trust anyone here due to the danger of the disease. It's not just making people sick and raising the dead but it's causing the living turn into animals, even here. Ashley will be safer with you."

Kiara bit her lower lip as she listened and nodded slowly. "Alright, I'll take her with me but what about you? You're not coming with us?" she asked.

"No. I'm staying here to help with the preparations. I also left you some money in the glove compartment so you can buy extra supplies."

Kiara sighed and nodded. "Very well" she said, not liking this at all. She looked up as Ben put his large hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently.

"You are my closet friend, Kiara and one of my best employees. I appreciate it." Kiara gave a small smile and nodded, not saying much. Ben smiled sadly. "Go. Ashley is waiting for you in her room. Hurry."

Kiara nodded and turned on her heal, heading out the door. She had a mission in this new nightmare and intent to keep her promise to her friend. Yanking her cell out, Kiara called home, hoping that someone would answer. The phone rang and rang till a familiar voice answered. "Hello? This is Hershel" came the familiar gentle voice\\.

"Pops, its Kiara" she said. "I don't have much time to explain but I'll be home in a couple of days. Just stay safe."

"Kiara? Calm down sweetie. Is this about the sickness? Don't worry, we're fine but do be careful on the drive here" he said, his voice calm. She could hear Beth and Maggie in the background with the rest of the family.

"I will. Say hi to everyone for me" Kiara said and soon hung up, quickening her pace. People half ran and half jogged through the busy hallways, all yapping rapidly into phones or to others with them. The halls are alive with the activity as Kiara made her pass by them, taking a left and heading up the stairs to the personal living quarters. Her stomach felt tied up in knots as she headed to Ashley's bedroom and knocked on the door.

The door opened and out popped the head of the girl she had been looking for and smiled up at her nervously, having an idea that something is going on. "Kiara…is it time to go?" she asked softly.

"'Friad so lass" Kiara said. "Your father asked me to take care of ya and I plan to." She smiled. "Do you have everything packed?" Ashley nodded and raced back inside to grab her backpack and her stuffed bear, Pickles. Kiara never could figure out why the bears name is Pickles. "Stay close." Kiara took her hand and led her out of the room and down the hallway. The noise from downstairs could be still heard through the walls and floor, giving the area some calmness but that didn't stop the hairs on the back of Kiara's neck standing up straight.

There was a bang and crash behind them, something heavy landing on the ground and a low groan. It wasn't a groan of pain, it sounded hungry. The two turned and gasped at the sight behind them. Ashley whimpered and cried, holding her bear. "Daddy!" she cried. The form stood up, staggering almost with uneven steps, revealing the dead face of the president.

"Mr. President…" Kiara said as a rush of emotions crashed through her and dread filled her stomach. It mad her heart clench as she saw her friend as one of those things from the news, a flesh eating monster. "Ben…" She whipped out her Mk23 pistol from the holster on her hip that is hidden by her jacket and aimed it at the zombie's head. Ashley whimpered and cried, gripping Kiara's leg tightly as her body shook. "I'll keep her safe. I promise" her voice cracked as her hand shook slightly. "Forgive me." Kiara pulled the trigger, ending the shell of the president. The body dropped and Kiara bent down, holding Ashley against her.

The little cried against the older woman's chest. Kiara rubbed her back gently, feeling sadden by this. As an assassin she is trained to shut her emotions off at will so the mission isn't compromised. All the people she had killed in the years, none of them were family or friends. Ben Avery wasn't just the president, her employer but a friend and a father to the now orphaned girl in her arms. Kiara looked at the limp figure on the ground and frowned as she scooped up Ashley into her arms. He may have been a zombie when she had killed him but he was still the president and if anyone hadn't been there to have seen the wounds on him, she would be arrested for murdering the president. They had to make tracks and get out.

"Ashley, sweetie we need to go now" Kiara murmured to the girl, rubbing her back gently as she put her gun back into the holster and adjusted her grip. Ashley nodded mutely, holding onto the woman's neck. Kiara could understand how she felt and made her way down the hallway and down a flight of stairs to the first floor but stopped, hearing heavy footsteps behind her. Turning, she saw another zombie shambling towards them. Judging by the clothes it was Miranda, secretary to the president. Kira swore and ran down the steps, yanking her pistol out, shooting at the corpse, killing it. Ashley cried out, hearing the gunshot.

Kiara took off down the hall, keeping a firm grip on Ashley and keeping her pistol out this time, not wanting to take chances. She couldn't keep calling them zombies even though it's what they are now, dead bodies that were reanimated and now hunger for flesh. No, zombies are something from harmless movies; this is too real to be a movie. Biters, she thought. That seems to fit them better. She kept running, hearing someone call her name and turned to look. Her amber eyes narrowed as she saw Chris Morgan, a high profile agent and his two lackeys, Chuck and Brandon. They wore the black suits, white shirts underneath and ties. Chris is a man that has a way to charm people, especially women. Underneath it is a man that is cold and cruel, wanting nothing more than to take over the role of leader.

"Miss. McAuliffe what are you doing with Ashley?" Chris asked with a brow raised. "Shouldn't she back in her room?" There is a smirk on his thin lips as he spoke.

"No. My orders from the president are to get her out of here and keep her safety" Kiara said stiffly. "And I plan to do just that." Ashley didn't look up from her shoulder once since she had seen her father get shot. "So if you'll excuse us." She stepped back slowly, not turning her back on him or his goons. She didn't trust him and would most likely shoot her in the back.

"Oh? And where do you plan on taking her?" Chuck asked grinning darkly at them. "Don't you think she should stay here with us? Safety in numbers."

Kiara frowned and took another step back from them, keeping a tight grip on her gun. "Yeah, normally I'd agree with that but not this time" she said and twisted around, sprinting down the hallway and away from them.

"After her!"

The sound of thundering footprints behind them made Kiara run much faster, carrying Ashley. She jumped over a table and took a sharp left, kicking open a door and ran down the stairwell. She knew it led to the underground garage that held her vehicle. "Hold on baby girl" she said to the quivering girl in her arms as she ran. The door slammed behind them and she knew Chuck and his friend are behind them. She hissed as a bullet whizzed past her face, grazing her cheek. The stinging sensation is pushed back of her mind as she pushed through another door.

"Kiara, your bleeding" Ashley whimpered, seeing the thin trail of blood run down Kiara's cheek. Kiara smiled at her gently.

"I'll be okay" Kiara reassured her. "Just a scratch." She kissed her forehead as she headed to her van and opened up the backseat, setting her into the booster chair and buckled her in. "I'll get us out of here." Ashley's blue eyes are wide in fear and hope, nodding. Kiara smiled and checked the back of the trunk, seeing the bags and boxes of supplies and nodded to herself. She hissed as she dodged a bullet and turned, yanking her pistol out and fired twice, killing Chuck and injuring Brandon. She jumped into the driver's seat and started up the engine, driving passed the two jerks and headed out of the underpass, passing cars and people easily.

Kiara turned on the radio and switched it to the news station, hoping to hear anything about the disease and wondered how long it would take to reach DC. It already made its way in the white house. How long would it take for it to spill out onto the streets? It made her worried and glanced back at the girl in the booster seat, seeing that she had conked out and clutched her bear to her chest tightly. She gave a small smile as she drove. The news urged people to go to Atlanta, saying it's safe and has a refugee camp. She just hoped it was as safe as it advertised. It was going to be a long night. The sun is already setting and they still had over nine hours to go.

Decision made, Kiara headed to Atlanta with precious cargo. She breathed slowly through her nose as she pushed the images of the days out of her mind, needing to concentrate on the road. The news must have reached other people's radios as the road started to fill with cars and other vehicles, all heading to the same destination. She just hopes the roads wouldn't be son congested with vehicles that it would cause a blockage.

….

Five hours later and it is completely dark out except for the head lights and tail lights on the road. Kiara had stopped three times to do pit stops and buy some more supplies for the ride. All through the drive Ashley either slept or stared out the window blankly. Kiara felt her chest tighten at the sight as she continued to drive.

The minutes seemed to tick slowly as Kiara navigated passed the cars, seeing a lot of them had died from the lack of gas or battery. It's slowly becoming a car graveyard. Ashley stirred in her sleep as they neared Atlanta, clutching her bear. "Are we there?" she asked sleepily.

"Almost, four hours left" Kiara said as she kept driving. Her eyes felt tired and gritty but had to keep driving. People weren't always safe when forced to face a problem, even more so with the dead rising. She trusted them less with a child in the car. She hoped her family is safe and her grip tightens on the steering wheel. Ashley nodded and soon fell asleep again. Kiara spent the last few hours driving but it was getting harder as the cluster of cars and such crowding together, just about blocking the road all together. They were half an hour away from Atlanta now, not knowing the horror's that already ripped through the city.

Soon Kiara was forced to stop the van, seeing road block in front of her. "Shit…" she muttered darkly, glad that Ashley is asleep and looked back towards the girl. She sighed a bit, thinking of what to do next. She couldn't push the cars to the side by herself during the night, it would be suicide. It might be even worse in the morning. She ran a hand through her hair, biting the inside of her cheek as a bright white light flashed in the rearview mirror and looked up, her eyes growing wide as she saw a truck barreling towards them, the driver clearly dead. A pole is sticking through the blood splattered windshield. There wouldn't be time to get out of the van as she climbed into the back and wrapped her arms around the girl as the truck slammed into the rear of the van.

The van slammed into the cars in front of it, pushing into the blockage and making a path deeper onto the road. Kiara felt her body slam against the car seats, her head hitting the window, crying out. Ashley screamed in terror, clutching Kiara's shirt as the van rammed into a larger vehicle and the van flipped over, landing on the roof. The sound of screeching metal erupted through the quiet air before going silent.

Kiara coughed and winced in pain as her head throbbed violently and blinked her eyes, feeling blood run down her face. She looked down at Ashley in her arms, seeing that the girl is alive, just a bit bruised. She tried to move and hissed in pain as her leg is pinned under the seat, feeling metal dig into the flesh. She had to get them out. Her eyes scanned the destroyed van, seeing their belongings strewn about and found a crowbar just in reach. Gritting her teeth, Kiara tried to reach for it when she heard footsteps heading straight towards them. She swore, not sure if they were friendly or not.

"Hello! Is anyone alive in there?"

"Dude, are you sure this is worth it?" A weary voice asked, sounding tired and drained.

A gruff tone answered. "It's worth it; someone could be alive in there and need our help."

The crunch of boots came closer to the destroyed van and the light of a flashlight turned on, searching the ground. "Shit…it's a mess. I really doubt anyone survived it."

Kiara gritted her teeth, deciding that if they were going to be saved, she needed to call out. "Help!" she cried out weakly, feeling dizzy and light headed. "We're in here, hurry." The footsteps thudded on the pavement, running towards them. She winced as she saw a figure bend down and shine a light at them. "Hold on, we'll get you and your daughter out. Are you bit?"

"No…please, help…" Kiara wheezed, feeling the adrenaline and blood loss finally catching up to her. Her eyes felt heavy, whispering to her to give in. "Please...save her…"

"Hold on, stay awake. Ma'am? Ma'am! Daryl, T-Dog, get your asses here now!"

Kiara closed her eyes, passing out as she heard voices calling out to her before she fell into darkness, her mind tugging at her weakly, trying to reassure that she and Ashley would be safe.

TBC


	2. Chapter 1

Assassin vs Walkers

By Springborn

Chapter One

Author's Note: Thank you redbulletcatwoman for the review and to everyone who is following this fic!

 _Five years ago…_

 _Kiara sat in the waiting room of the hospital, just outside of the room that Ben and his wife, Nellie, are in, delivering a baby. She had been there for ten hours, only heading home to change and shower before heading back, getting food from the cafeteria. This would be her friend's first child and probably the last as both neared forty and the chances of pregnancy at that age are slim. So when Ben and Nellie announced that they are expecting it was a day to remember, even more so when they made Kiara the godparent for the child. It was an honor, a happy one at that. During the next nine months Nellie glowed and flourished, barely complaining about pains till the last stretch of the pregnancy. The last three weeks turned into stress with constant visits to the doctors till she was forced to stay at the hospital for the remainder of it._

 _Nellie was getting weaker and weaker, always getting sick and hardly eating. It worried her and Ben about his wife's health and the baby's. Soon Nellie went into labor and Kiara was sent out to wait._

 _The door's opened and a doctor came out holding a bundle of pink in his arms and the sounds of a squalling baby were heard. Kiara looked up and saw a look of sadness and remorse on his face as he handed her the bundle. "I'm sorry for you loss but the mother didn't make it" he said softly, lowering his head. 'They named her Ashley."_

…

Kiara groaned weakly as pain shot through her entire body, making everything hurt like hell. "Ow…fuck…" she groaned and winced, touching her forehead and felt a bandage wrapped around her head. She sat up slowly and opened her eyes, seeing that she is in a tent. How did she get here? Frowning, she struggled to remember what had happened and gasped as she remembered the accident, hearing voices as she blacked out, holding Ashley. "Ashley…" she said, fear coursing through her and pushed herself onto her knees. Her weapons are nowhere to be seen and she saw that she is only in her sports bra and shorts. She took stock of her body, feeling sharp pains everywhere. Her left cheek is bandaged as well as her right side and could tell her lower lip had been busted open due to the scab. She headed to the zipper and stopped, hearing children laughing and giggling. Kids? And she could hear Ashley's laughter with the giggles.

Kiara sighed in relief as she heard Ashley, hoping that girl wasn't too hurt and slowly climbed out of the tent, looking around. More tents and a camper greeted her as she stood up, feeling the morning sun on her skin. Off to the left of her a fire pit nestled into the ground with pots and pans near it for cooking and cleaning as there is a clothes line not too far from the area. She spotted the vehicles near the tents and started walking, hoping to spot Ashley or anyone else that the camp belonged to.

"You shouldn't be up and walking" A woman with long brown hair appeared from behind a tree, holding a basket of clothes. She frowned with worry. "You're still healing but your daughter and the others will be relieved that you're okay. I'm Lori Grimes."

Kiara looked at the woman, taking stalk of her and nodded slowly and winced, feeling dizzy and held her head. "I'm Kiara. Where's Ashley? Is she okay?" she asked, not being able to stop the questions tumbling out of her mouth, feeling a bit desperate. "I have to know."

Lori smiled at her gently. "She's okay, just a few scratches and she'll have some bruising" she said. "But you took the brunt of the crash. We didn't think you'd pull through." She put the basket down and led Kiara to a log to sit down. Kiara closed her eyes, trying to will the dizziness away.

"What happened?" she asked, feeling drained.

"Shane and two others heard a crash and went to investigate" Lori said softly. "They found the van, it was beyond repair. We managed to save your weapons and some clothes and food but everything else is gone. They found you holding Ashley. You were bleeding pretty badly from your head and side. If you hadn't shielded the girl, she would have died."

Kiara ran a hand through her hair and over her face, sighing heavily as she took in the information she was told and looked up at Lori. "You said that there are more of you here? I heard kids laughing, one of them is Ashley."

"We have four kids here," Lori said nodding. "And we have adults too, around twenty." She looked at Kiara and smiled. "I have an extra shirt you can have. You probably don't want to go around in your bra all day."

Kiara chuckled softly and nodded. "Yeah, I'd rather not scare the kids" she said and raised a brow at the look on Lori's face. "What is it?"

Lori shifted a bit. "I saw the scars on your back and around your waist. They look old" she said softly and pushed back her hair behind her shoulder. "I'm sorry. I'm being nosy."

"It's alright" Kiara sighed. "I've been through a few fights growing up." She wasn't sure how much she should mention about her job or about Ashley. Even though Lori and her group had taken them in and bandaged them up but she didn't know them or if she could trust them. "So…how long was I out?"

"Two days" Lori said as she pulled out a clean tank top and handed it over to her. "Amy had to convince Ashley to eat. She's worried about you." Kiara smiled and pulled on the top, feeling a bit more presentable now. She sighed a bit, shaking her head. Two days? She had been unconscious for two days? How much did she miss?

"Jesus" Kiara said, sighing. She looked up to see a group of kids and an older teen girl walk into the area. Ashley talked to the kid with the blond hair, laughing at something she said. The boy with the brown hair nudged her and pointed towards Kiara and Lori. Ashley turned and her face broke into a smile. "Kiara!" she squealed and ran to the older woman, throwing her arms around her neck, hugging her tightly. Kiara chuckled and hugged her gently, wincing from the pain. "I'm okay baby girl."

Ashley gave a soft sniff and whimper, nodding slowly. "I was so scared" she said. "You wouldn't wake up." Kiara held her close and closed her eyes, resting her hand on the girls back, stroking it.

"I'm sorry to have scared you" Kiara murmured. "I didn't want to." She pulled the girl away from her to see her face and smiled. "But I'm here now and I'm not going anywhere, okay?" Ashley looked at her and nodded slowly, biting her lower lip. "Okay."

Kiara smiled and turned to look at the others. "It looks like you made some friends" she said. "Thank you for looking out for her." The boy looked up and grinned at the older woman, his bright blue eyes sparkling happily. "Not a problem" he said. "It's nice to meet new people."

"Especially kids our age" The blond girl said grinning widely. "I'm Sophia. This is Carl, Amy, Lois and Eliza." Kiara nodded as she looked at them. "It's a pleasure to meet you all" she said. "I'm Kiara and you already met Ashley."

Ashley looked up at Kiara and smiled. 'Can I go out and play again? I promise we'll stay close" she said looking hopeful.

"Alright but stay close" Kiara said and smiled as she watched the kids and Amy head back out to play, staying in sight of the adults.

"You're awake, good" A man said as he broke off from the rest. "I'm Shane. I'm one of the ones that found you and your daughter at the crash." He held his hand out and Kiara took it, shaking it. "You gave us the scare there, girl."

Kiara looked over Shane and could tell he had been in the police force by the way he walked and carried himself. "So I've been told" she said. "You from the police force?" Shane and Lori both looked surprised by that.

"Yeah I was. How did you know?" Shane asked brow raised and placed his hands onto his hips. "Are you on the police force?"

Kiara shrugged. "Nope. I could tell by how you carried yourself" she said. "You all got that swag going on."

Shane smirked. "Swag huh? You're not from around these parts, are ya? You have an accent" he pointed out. "Scottish? Irish?"

"Aye, Irish and Scottish" Kiara said. "I came 'ere with my parents when I was fifteen. So I never really lost much of my accent." She leaned back a bit. "You got a nice camp here. How long have you been staying here?"

Lori shifted in her seat. "About a week or two now" she said. "We left as soon as we could and we tried to get to Atlanta but it was bombed by the army." Kiara looked at them, seeing the grim faces and groaned lowly. _I'm not surprised_ , she thought irritably. _The city must have been overrun and lost hope for it._ Her eyes narrowed in thought. "So you're staying the quarry? For what, help?"

"That's right" Shane grunted. "They'll be here before we know it and with backup. Till then we just do what we can to survive." He sighed a bit. "And it leads to the question to you and your girl. Do you plan on staying after your healed or ya gonna go?"

"Shane…" Lori started to protest. Kiara shook her head and looked at them. "I'd like to stay, not for me but for Ashley. She needs someone her age to understand her and try to be a kid a little longer." She looked at Shane and had a good idea that he's the leader. "I'll pull my weight and help out with anything ya need me to do."

Lori smile. "Good. It's nice to have new people" she said. "Shane has your weapons in the RV for safe keeping and some of your personal belongings as well."

"Thank you" Kiara said. "I'll probably need something on my feet besides socks or going barefoot." She looked down at her stocking feet and saw that they were already covered in dirt and leaves. It wouldn't be the first time she had to run around barefoot. "Do I just go in?"

"Yeah, Dale or Andrea might be in" Lori said. "Just take it easy getting up." She watched the younger woman stand slowly and stumbled a bit before righting herself. Kiara nodded. "I will" she said as she made her way to the RV and knocked on the door. When she didn't hear anything, she opened the door and went in. She found her belongings in a box as well as her weapons underneath the small table. Kiara pulled out her boots, clean socks and pants, wincing as the fabric pressed onto her wound on her side. She sighed as she pushed back her hair, seeing a few brown strands against her fingers. She stepped out and nearly crashed into a older man with white hair.

"Whoa, sorry about that" The man said steadying her and smiled kindly. "I'm Dale. You must be Kiara. It's good to see you up on your feet. You gave us a bit of a scare." Kiara smiled slightly and nodded. "Yeah, that's what Lori and Shane said."

Dale nodded. "How are you feeling?" he asked concerned. "You lost a bit of blood and honestly? I'm surprised you're standing right now." He looked over her slowly. "Do you want to sit down? The seats are pretty comfy for the most part"

Kiara felt her lips twitch into a smile at the man's concern for her and shook her head. "Thank you, that's kind of you" she said. "I'm alright, just a little lightheaded." Her stomach growled loudly and flushed. "And hungry."

"I can hear it" Dale chuckled and pulled out a package of jerky from the cupboards. "Here. When was the last time you ate?" He motioned for her to sit at the table and Kiara did, sitting across from him. She hummed in thought. "Three days ago" she said. "Same day Ashley and I left."

"Where are you from?" Dale asked curiously as he raised a bushy brow. He pulled his hat off and ran a hand over his somewhat balled head. He sounded sincere and honest enough, Kiara thought to herself and felt a little bit calmer with the man. "DC" she said softly. "We were there when it started."

Dale whistled and shook his head while his eyes dimmed in thought. "Damn. Do you think that's where it started? In DC?" he asked and looked at her. Kiara sighed softly. "I don't know" she said honestly, leaning back into the seat and pulled out a piece of jerky, taking a bite. She chewed slowly and swallowed. "It was such a massacre that day. I could only think of getting Ashley and leaving." She sighed softly.

"You're not her mother, are you?" Dale asked suddenly and looked at her. "I'm asking because she calls you by your first name and you don't have that many facial features. I know I'm probably being nosy but she looks like the president's daughter. I've seen her in the newspapers with President Avery."

Kiara frowned as she debated to tell him the whole truth or just tidbits till she could make sure that he and his group wouldn't take Ashley from her. "Your right" she said slowly and ran her hand through her short hair, sighing. "She's the president's daughter and I'm a friend of the families, her god parent. He asked me to look out for her if anything happened…" Her eyes dimmed at the image of the president's body after she shot him.

"That explains it" Dale said softly and looked sadden. "I'm sorry for both your losses. What happened to the girl's mother?"

"Died at childbirth" Kiara said, closing her eyes. "There were a lot of complications during the last stretch of the pregnancy and had to be bed ridden. Ben took it the hardest as they had been married for years. Ashley is their miracle child. They had her late." Dale swallowed and his eyes darken a bit, nodding slowly. "I can relate" he said. "Before my wife died, we tried for years to have children but it never worked out."

"I'm sorry" Kiara murmured as she could feel the man's loss as he spoke. She didn't know what it was like to lose a significant other but she knew what loss is. She had lost her parents two years after moving to the US and her uncle took care of her. Dale waves it away as he looked at her. "It's okay. I'm just glad she's not here to see this" he said. "You pretty much met everyone except Carol, Ed, her husband, Jim, and a few others. Though you might want to be careful around Merle Dixon and his brother, Daryl. They're a little rough around the edges, especially Merle."

This caught Kiara's attention. "Dixon?" she said as the name rang a bell in her head. Her dad and uncle knew a Dixon. Will Dixon, she thought and knew he had two kids. She wondered if it were Will's kids. "My dad and Uncle knew a Will Dixon." Dale nodded as he hummed in thought. "Could be related but you won't meet them till later this afternoon or tonight. They went out to do some hunting." Kiara nodded. "I see" she said

Dale smiled and stood up. "Come on, I'll give you the tour of the camp" he said and headed out the door. Kiara chuckled softly and followed after him, taking another piece of jerky along with her.

It took about two hours to get the tour and meeting the rest of the people at the camp. Kiara took a close look at them all, taking a good look at them and found herself thinking that they are good people and they seem to survive real well here but she wondered how long before they had to find someplace warmer during the cooler months. She saw Ashley play with the kids as they all laughed and told stories before this. Kiara felt relieved to see that Ashley is enjoying herself and found herself smile a little. She found the lake to be really beautiful and relaxing. The sun finally hit the noon hour and Carol with Lori's help had started to make a meal for lunch.

"So Kiara" Shane started from his spot across the fire as he cleaned his knife, his tone a bit wary. "You were packing a lot of heat when we found you. Some of them are only issued to military. How did you get them?"

Kiara sipped at her water bottle and frowned a bit. She knew someone would ask her about her weapons sooner or later and had guessed it would be Shane to ask. He seemed nosier than Dale and Andrea. She settled her gaze on Shane. "I ain't military if that's what yer askin'" she said slowly.

"It's because she worked for my dad" Ashley piped up and it caused the grownups to look at her. Lori looked at her. "Who was your dad sweetie?" she asked. Ashley looked at Kiara and spoke, "The President. Kiara is my godmother."

"Godmother, eh? That still doesn't explain much about the weapons" Shane pressed as he narrowed his eyes. "If you worked for the president you have to be FBI or his body guard." Kiara sighed as her eyes glowed slightly from the fire. "I guess you could say I'm a little of all three. I have military training but I'm not military, FBI or CIA." She glared at the fire. "Can we just drop it? I don't want to disclose what I was, am still, before this hell started."

"Sorry but you're in my camp with people I've promised to protect. You showed up with military grade weapons and the president's daughter" Shane argued. "I don't know you or the girl. You pose a threat."

Kiara narrowed her eyes dangerously. "Excuse me? I pose a threat?" she snorted. "I pose a threat because I don't want to talk about what I did for a living?" She glared at Shane. "You pose a threat to Ashley." She stood up as did Shane.

"Whoa, calm down you two" Glenn pleaded as he walked into the clearing and he heard the rising tones. "You both got good points but in order to share we need to learn to trust each other." He looked at them, his dark eyes pleading. He bit his lower lip as he spoke. "We can make this work." Lori looked uncertain and nodded in agreement. "We're just curious, Kiara. Shane didn't mean to rile you up. Right Shane?" she looked at the man.

Shane frowned. "Yeah" he grunted. He would keep an eye on Kiara, he promised himself. Something didn't sit well to him about the woman. _There's more than what she was telling them_ , he thought darkly and put his hands on his hips _. I'll find out one way or another._

"Hey sugartits!" a southern drawl came from behind the camper as two people stepped out. "You finally woke up your lazy ass." Kiara looked up and knew instantly that the two men are Will's kids. She had seen pictures of them when she was younger and even though they're older now she knew it's them. She rolled her eyes at the name.

"Nice to meet ya Merle and Daryl" Kiara said coolly. "You two certainly got older." She didn't miss the surprised looks on everyone's faces. Both Dixon's stared at her silently, brows raised in confusion. Kiara chuckled softly.

TBC


	3. Chapter 2

Assassin vs Walkers

By Springborn

Chapter Two

Author's Note: Thank you once again redbulletcatwoman for the review. I really appreciate and to those that have followed the fic. Please don't hold back on the reviews and any tips you have for to make the characters a bit more believable!

Daryl stared at the new girl, thinking as his brows furrowed into a scowl. _Who the hell is she? How does she know our fucked up, dead beat pops?_ He looked at Merle who is scowling at the girl, probably thinking the same thing as he did.

"And who are you sweetheart?" Merle grouched. "What makes you think you know us, hey? Never seen ya before." He folded his arms across his chest, stance stiff and none too welcoming. Kiara rolled her eyes as she leaned back.

"I've met your father once and I've seen your pictures" Kiara said as she shrugged a little. "You two are the spitting images of your younger selves." Merle snorted and sneered. "Ya don't say" he said sarcastically. "Who? Yer parents drug dealers?" He was trying to get a rise from her. Kiara snorted as she held back her anger at the accusation that her parents were addicts. She glared a bit as she could get a faint smell of booze on Merle and he had the slightly haggard look of an addict.

"No" Kiara said slowly. "My parents weren't into drugs but my uncle was." She had no idea if her uncle is alive or not. And she wasn't too broken up about it either. They never really got along as he enjoyed the chase a bit too much and when he wasn't doing a job he went to a bar in town to get drunk and high, often leaving her alone or with a babysitter.

"Oh? Who's yer uncle?" Merle asked, looking somewhat interested at that tiny bit of info. "I might have met 'im."

Kiara sighed softly as she could feel the younger Dixon stare at her with a guarded expression and lips pulled into a grim line. Shane and the others stayed quiet as they waited for Kiara to continue her tale about the connection t between her family and the rednecks.

Shane looked more interested as the wheels in his brain put away the information, intending to use it if he had to. He shook himself mentally and frowned. He didn't like the brothers and if Kiara had connections with them than he would have to keep an eye on her too.

"His name Bernard Art" Kiara said. "My name is Kiara Art. He's my dad's brother." She locked eyes with Merle, seeing his blue eyes darken in recognition at the name and smirked. "Well now, I knew him. Never would have thought ol' Bernard had a niece. How is he?"

"Don't know" Kiara murmured and shrugged. "Haven't heard from him since I left home." She frowned at the brief memory of her uncle kicking her out when she was eighteen. It was the beginning of living alone even though she has been for as long as she could remember as her uncle wasn't a real fatherly person and haven't been around much. Merle nodded slowly."Yer uncle is a prick" he stated. Daryl grumbled something under his breath and turned to leave. "I'll skin the squirrels" he said and disappeared around the side of the RV. Kiara watched him leave before turning her gaze towards Merle. "Nothing new there. I had to live with the asshole" she said as she stared at the fire, a frown tugging at her lips. "He was hardly home and a maid practically raised me."

"Maid, eh? Must have been rich" Merle smirked. "Little rich princess? Surprised you lived this long. Do ya even know how to fight?" He stared at the woman, looking at her bandaged form. She was pretty, he thought. Especially with the short brown hair and ember eyes, wolf eyes. Though…not so big in the chest, Merle snorted.

Kiara smirked. "We were well off but not rich" she said not sure why she had to explain herself to this man. "And I know how to fight so don't worry your pretty little head about that." Amy covered her mouth to keep from laughing, her shoulders shaking. Andrea bit back a smirk as her blue eyes crinkled from the silent laugh.

"She worked for the president" Lori said. "Obviously she has some training to fight. And she had all those weapons with her when you and the others found her with Ashley who happens to be the president's daughter." Merle blinked at the information and laughed loudly. "Woo wee! Ain't that something" he said. "We got ourselves royalty, eh? If ya worked for the president girlie, than you must know what caused this hell." He walked around the fire pit and stood next to Kiara and leaned forward, his face tight with irritation and maybe impressed.

"If I did do you think I'd be here?" Kiara stated. "I'd be in the labs with the information but sadly I don't know what caused it. I really doubt the feds or the scientists know. We've been keeping an eye on it since we first got wind of the problem. We tried to contain it." She remembered that day when the first case appeared. It had been an old man that showed up with flu like symptoms.

"But ya failed" Merle sneered and stepped back, snorting. "Nice going government agent." He patted her cheek like she was a child and turned to leave. She narrowed her eyes as she resisted the urge to ram her boot up his ass, not enjoying the taunting but felt like she didn't need to explain her role to the redneck. She looked at Glen and the others.

"Despite what that asshole says" Kiara said. "I had no connection with the labs that did the experiments. I didn't have the clearance."

"So even though you worked for the president, you were restricted from areas? Makes you wonder what they were doing" Dale said shaking his head and ran a hand over his head, taking his hat off. He looked at the woman and the little girl that clung to Kiara's arm. He remembered what she had told him about their connection and smiled lightly. Kiara looked at Ashley and smiled softly, stroking her hair tenderly. To anyone else she would have looked like the girl's mother with how she treated her. Ashley would give Kiara a bright smile when she was around.

Kiara looked at Dale while she nudged Ashley to go with her friends to play, smiling as the girl nodded and bounced off. "I've wondered but it wasn't my place to ask went on there. I didn't really start to wonder till it was too late." She motioned her hand towards the destroyed city in an almost irritated gesture. "If I did than maybe THIS wouldn't have happened." She felt like she was somewhat responsible for this even though it was stupid to think like that.

"Start thinkin' like that and it'll eat at ya" T-Dog said and patted her shoulder as he sat down next to her and gave an encouraging smile. "There was nothin' you could have done." Kiara smiled and nodded slowly. "Yeah, yer right" she said and nudged him lightly with her shoulder. "Thanks for the pep talk dude." She stood up. "I'm gonna go and stretch my legs a bit and try not to piss of the local rednecks."

Amy snickered and shook her head. "Daryl isn't so bad really and neither is Merle once you get to know him" she said. Andrea rolled her eyes at that. "Right…Merle Dixon isn't bad" she grumbled as she didn't agree with her sister.

Kiara chuckled and waved at the group as she left the campfire and headed out passed the RV. She could hear Daryl and Merle skinning the squirrels they had hunted earlier and turned to look at them. From what she saw, Daryl and Merle are night and day. Merle is a loudmouth and a bit burly with wide shoulders while Daryl isn't as buff but still pleasing to the eyes. And he was quiet, she noticed. He seemed to be a man of few words and relied more on action to do the talking.

"See something ye like sugartits?" Merle flirted. "Need a man to satisfy ya?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and laughed gruffly. "Come on over and I'll show ya a good time." Daryl grumbled, "Shut up asshole."

"Thanks but no thanks" Kiara said and smirked. "Nothin' happening on the first date." She hadn't dated for the last three years but she wasn't gonna mention that to him and it wasn't his dang business either. Merle narrowed his eyes. "This a date now? Ya work quickly" he snarked.

"You wish" Kiara said and gave a fleeting look at Daryl who turned to look at her. Their eyes met and held. Daryl soon snapped. "Take a picture it'll last longer!" He turned away to keep working on the fresh meat. Kiara snorted and started walking. The day was getting better and better.

Turning on her heal, Kiara headed away from the brothers and started towards the woods, following the sounds of the kids.

Carl headed towards Ashley with Sophia at his side. "What was it like at the white house?" Sophia asked curiously, smiling. "I heard the rooms there are huge!" Ashely chuckled and nodded, holding onto Pickle. "It is" she said. "A lot of hiding spots as well. It's fun to play hide and seek with the maids." Carl grinned. "That would be awesome" he said. "Want to play now? It'll make it interesting."

"Sure" Ashley grinned and looked up to see Kiara watching them. 'Can I?" She gave Kiara a pleading look and the older woman chuckled.

"Go ahead but not too deep in the woods, okay? We don't know if there are any biters there" Kiara said. Carl looked confused. "Biters? We call them Walkers" she said. _That makes sense,_ Kiara thought as she understood the name. "Ah. I can see why you call them that. Stay close to camp." She smiled and started walking again, nodding to the families and saw Carol.

Carol looked up from the laundry she was folding and gave a small smile. "How are you feeling?" she asked pleasantly. Kiara took a immediate liking to the gray haired woman and returned her smile. She looked around to see if Ed was being a creep but didn't see him. "I'm feeling better, still feeling a little off" she said honestly. Carol nodded. "You had quite a bump" she pointed out. "If you need any laundry done for you and Ashley put them into the basket. We all take turns doing them together."

"Thank you" Kiara said kindly. "I really appreciate Carol. Is there anything I can do to help? I don't want to sit around all day while everyone else is doing something." Carol chuckled and shook her head. "You can help by relaxing. You're still healing." Her smile soon faded as Ed showed his ugly mug, leaning against a tree while smoking a cigarette.

He snorted, flicking the ash to the ground. "Healing or not, lazy cooch should be helping" he said as his dark eyes narrowed in what is supposed to be a 'scary' look. Kiara rolled her eyes, ignoring the derogating tone. "I'll make sure to take it up with Shane" she said sarcastically and turned to look at Carol, giving her a light smile. "I'll see you later Carol. Let me know when you need help." She waved as she headed off.

Shane pulled supplies from his jeep and handed them to Lori. "Are you sure we can trust her? Kiara?" he whispered, looking over his shoulder to make sure the woman wasn't behind him. He didn't believe the story she had fed them. "There's more to her than she's sharing." Lori looked at him quizzically. "How can you be so sure?" she asked. She placed a hand on his arm. "She admitted not trusting us yet and we're the same but I'm willing to give her a chance. She has a kid with her Shane."

"And? If she proves to be a problem we can just take the kid and force her to leave" he mused, frowning. Though he didn't think he could take a child in so easily. He cared for the people of the group but Lori's and Carl's safety is top priority to him. Lori nodded in agreement but hoped it won't come to that. "Give her time" she said, looking around before kissing him. Breaking it and turned on her heal to help Carol with the laundry. "Hey Kiara, come here."

The woman in question just entered the area and raised a brow at him. "What is it?" Kiara sighed, feeling agitated from her brief encounter with Ed. Men like him made her sick. She hoped he didn't beat on Sophia but her gut told her that he did. She didn't have proof and it irritated her. Did the others know about it? Or have they turned a blind eye? She hoped not.

Shane leveled his gaze on her. "How did you end up with taking care of Ashley? Where are her parents?" he asked, arms folded and leaned against the back of the jeep. Kiara rolled her eyes. "I told you, Shane. I'm her godmother" she said, trying to keep from snapping. She debated on telling him that the president is dead. "Her mother died at childbirth and the president is dead. I shot him."

" _What?_ " Shane snapped grabbing her arm roughly. "You assassinated the President? Girl, if this was normal; you'd be killed on the spot." He pushed his face close to hers, eyes narrowed into a glare. "Who the fuck are you? No more lies."

Jim looked up, his thin face filled with worry. "Is it true? The president is dead?" he asked looking at Kiara. Dale and the rest stared at Shane and Kiara, waiting for an answer. "Why did you kill him?" Carol pulled Sophia closed to her, watching. Fear flashed through her eyes as the look on her face spoke clearly, murder…

"Shane, let the lady speak, alright?" T-Bone said trying to keep the peace, his tone calm. "I'm sure there is a reasonable explanation." Merle snorted as he leaned against a tree with a cigarette between his fingers. He took a long drag and let it out. "I'm curious" he gruffed. "Must be some wacked out bitch if ya took out the president." Daryl stood next to his brother, gripping his crossbow, eyes squinted in thought. Kiara yanked her arm out of Shane's grip and punched him in the nose. There is crack of bone crunching under her fist.

"Shane!" Lori cried and held Carl back as she felt her son twitch, staring. "Kiara, stop, please…" She begged the girl. Kiara barely felt the sting in her fist as she glared at Shane. "I had to kill him" she growled. "He would have killed us. He had turned into a Walker. There was blood on his collar." Sophia whimpered and buried her face into her mother's stomach. The Morales pulled their children towards the tents.

"I had no choice. He was my friend, just like his wife. I had been friends with them for years" Kiara whispered, anger coursing through her body as she lived the memory. "I was there when Ashley was born and I heard the wails of Ben, mourning his wife. That will never leave me." She glared at Shane. "I know the consequences of my actions but it would be crueler to leave him like that, to let him turn more. He wouldn't want that." She pointed a finger at him. "You want me gone so badly" she hissed angrily. "Give me my weapons and what other supplies and we'll go."

Ashley whimpered and lowered her head as she heard this. She didn't want to leave her new friends but she didn't want to Kiara to leave either. "Kiara…" she started. Dale shook his head at her and made his way to the fighting adults. "Come on you two, you're scaring the kids" he reasoned. "Shane, you could have gone about this differently, you know." Shane looked away, his nose bleeding. Dale turned to look at Kiara. "I'm sorry you had to put your friend down but violence won't solve anything and we can't be fighting among ourselves."

"He's right" Glenn said awkwardly. "And we don't want you to leave, Kiara." He gave her a confident smile. "We want you to stay." Kiara looked at Ashley and sighed, nodding. "We'll stay."

Carl and Sophia cheered happily and hugged Ashley. The girl laughed and giggled as she returned the warm hugs from her friends. She was relieved when Kiara said they stay, even more when Glenn told the two that the group didn't want them to leave. Ashley looked at Shane and shivered, seeing the angry look on his tanned face and he stomped off, yelling over his shoulder, "Go help Daryl and Merle with the skinning."

Kiara stretched her fingers and massaged her knuckles; glad she didn't have her brass knuckles on as she looked at the brother. Daryl grunted. "Come on." He turned on his foot and headed to a log near the squirrels that still needed to get skinned. She followed after him. "Ever skinned an animal before?" Daryl questioned, handing her a squirrel.

"Yeah, I have" She said and took the knife that Daryl handed over to her and got to work. "I've been out hunting before." He didn't speak, giving a slight nod as he worked. It was an awkward silence but didn't give too much notice as Kiara worked. It didn't take them long to get all the squirrels skinned and clean, putting them over the fire.

"I'm surprised" Merle drawled and plopped down on the ground next to Daryl. "Government girl knows how to skin and hunt." His face gruff and stern as he pressed his back against the trunk of a tree, his lips turning up into a smirk as he stared at her, raising a brow. "Who taught ya?" He looked at her expectantly.

Kiara looked at the first as it crackled and danced. "When he was around, my asshole uncle" she said. "Family tradition, I guess. Everyone in the family is required to learn how to hunt, survive in the forest, how to use weapons." She closed her eyes, remembering the teachings of her uncle. He wasn't an easy teacher and often went to bed with an empty stomach.

"Family tradition, eh? What kind of upbringing did you have?" Daryl asked raising his head from his crossbow. He looked at the woman across from him, seeing her face going blank but her eyes held a pain, pain from her memories? He wondered.

"Not a pleasant one" Kiara said honestly and raised her gaze to look at them. The brothers shared a look, a look of understanding. "Sorry girl, sounds like fuckin nightmare" Merle said, closing his eyes.

Kiara nodded and grunted as Ashley jumped on her lap, laughing happily. "Pickles say's 'hi' " she said, holding her toy. Kiara chuckled softly and rubbed the girls head. "Hey Pickles" she said and looked around the rag tag group that had saved them. It was a mix of different personalities and backgrounds. She knew that being with them would be an interesting adventure. Kiara looked up at the sky and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. She couldn't help but wonder their reactions when they find out about her job. Time will tell.

TBC


	4. Chapter 3

Assassin vs Walkers

By Springborn

Chapter Three

The week flew by fast for everyone. Kiara and Ashley quickly fell into a routine at the camp, helping with the chores and runs with Glenn, or Kiara went on runs with him at times. Ashley quickly made friends with Carl and Sophia. The three were always seen together. Kiara felt happy with the kids budding relationships. It was good to have some normalcy in this hell. Kiara had befriended Dale, Carol, Glenn, Amy and Andrea to an extent and often enjoyed their company. She and Lori had a strained relationship due to Kiara punching Shane that day.

To top that off Kiara was slowly getting used to the Dixon brothers. Merle still pissed her off and they had gotten into more than one explosive argument. Most of the time Shane and Daryl had to pull them away, afraid it would get physical.

As for Daryl, he remained a mystery to her, Kiara mused as she headed to the forest with her machete and small handgun. She couldn't figure him out. He had surprisingly invited her to a hunting trip tomorrow with them. "That's going to be interesting" she muttered and stopped at a tall tree. It didn't have many branches near hear but it would be a fun challenge.

Stretching her back, legs and arms, Kiara slipped on her climbing claws over her hands, tightening the strap till they felt snug. She ran to the tree and jumped, pushing herself off the ground and latched onto the tree, grunting a bit as she started climbing. She could feel her muscles stretch and tighten as she climbed, moving from branch to branch effortlessly. The climbing made her feel alive and refreshed as she reached a thick branch and pulled herself up, settling onto the strong limb. She gave a soft sigh as she looked out over the trees. A sea of green and it felt calming as she felt herself get lost in the silence of the space.

She had almost forgot that tree climbing felt calming for her, even as a child, it always calmed her nerves when she was stressed out or wanting to strangle someone. Today she just wanted to stretch her limbs, to feel alive.

" 'ey! What the hell are you doing up there?" Daryl called out from his spot under the tree. "In fact, how did you get up there?" Kiara looked down to see the small form of Daryl and grinned, giving a cheeky wave.

"I climbed" She laughed. "Not that hard to do." Daryl growled, "No shit! Get yer ass down from there." He gipped his crossbow as he shifted on his feet. "Crazy female. Yer going to give me a heart attack." He didn't know what possessed him to ask her to go hunting with him tomorrow. It just slipped out of his mouth. Daryl grunted as he remembered the surprised look on her face and a pleased smile replacing the expression as she said yes. The only person who accompanied him hunting was his brother, Merle.

"I'm coming down" Kiara said as she dug the claws into the tree and slowly climbed down. She could hear Daryl sputtering in disbelief as he watched her and wondered how she was climbing so effortlessly down a tree without many branches. As she reached the bottom, she pushed herself off the trunk and landed on her feet, turning to look at him. "Better?"

Daryl glared at her. "Peachy. Still didn't' answer my question" he grunted. 'How did ya manage to get up there? Didn't' realize yer a damn monkey." He narrowed his eyes at her, waiting for a response. What else did this woman have up her sleeve?

"These" Kiara said as she showed him the metal claws tight around her wrists. "They're excellent for climbing." She shrugged. "And sharp." She untied the wraps around the wrists and let Daryl have a closer look. The man took one and rolled it over in his hands. "A damn ninja" he whistled. He could feel how heavy and durable they are.

"Nice craftsmanship. Get them from your time at the government?" Daryl asked as he handed them back. He shifted on his feet, placing one hand on his hip and his other hand placing his crossbow on his shoulder.

Kiara put the claws away back in her pack. "You could say that" she said, shrugging. "I learned a bit while working for him." Though that was only half the truth but didn't tell him that. She looked at the man in front of her, head tilted.

He grunted. "Gotta get back to camp before Shane gets his belt in a twist" Daryl muttered and started back towards the path that led back to the camp. He didn't feel like dealing with the overprotective cop and didn't care for his ass either. He gave a glance at Kiara to make sure she was following before turning his gaze forward again. The agent had caught his interest but wouldn't admit it. Daryl didn't want to get attached.

Kiara walked with him, enjoying his company. He may not say much but it was still a pleasure to hang out with him.

As they neared the camp a shriek came and a few alarmed cries joined in. Kiara dashed towards the camp, her heart ramming against her ribs. She knew the sounds. It was Ashley, Sophia and Carol. What she saw next made her blood boil.

Ed stood in front of Carol who the kids behind her but had her head down, wincing and her shoulders shaking. A fresh bruise decorated her left cheek. Ed growled, "I told you, didn't I? You don't invite someone else's brat into our tent!" Carol winced again. "Ed please" she begged, crying out as Ed raised his hand to hit her again.

Kiara pulled her blade out and held it against his temple, her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Try it, I dare you" she said coolly. "You'll be dead before you even lay another hand on her or the kids."

"Kiara! Ed" Shane approached them, watching them wearily. "Calm down, alright? Ed we talked about this. You can't go beating on them."

"Ed, please stop" Lori pleaded with the man, fear in her tone. "This doesn't have to get worse than what it is. No blood shed." Her gaze leveled on the girls, trying to give them some confidence and assurance. Carl hid behind her, gripping the back of her shirt.

Kiara felt anger surging through her. She had her suspicions about Ed. She never liked the man, even when she first met him. When she and Daryl got back to camp and heard the screams, her blood boiled as she saw Ed. She never loosened her grip on her blade, keeping it pressed against Ed's neck. She wanted to slit his throat here and end the suffering that Carol and Sophia had to endure.

Daryl watched the scene, gripping his crossbow. He narrowed his eyes as he waited for someone to make a move. He was a bit surprised by Kiara's movements and cold demeanor. The way she held herself and the blade made him think she wasn't just a bodyguard to the president.

Kiara grabbed the back of Ed's shirt and yanked him away from Carol, lowering her blade. "I better not see you threatening them again" she growled before putting her blade away. If she had been a newbie, she would have left a slash line on his neck but didn't. She watched Ashley and Sophia clutch onto Carol, whimpering and crying.

Ed growled and stomped away, heading to his tent. Shane leveled a cold look at Kiara. "You didn't have to pull a blade on him" he growled.

"Are you shitting me right now?" Kiara snapped angrily, placing a hand on her hip. "You're a hypocrite right now. You knew he was thrashing Carol and Sophia and yet you didn't do a fucking thing?" Her accent grew thick as she spoke. "And just now, he wasn't just threating them but Ashley too? That's not gonna sit."

"Kiara…"

Kiara growled. "Fuck you, Shane" she snapped and pushed passed him, heading to Carol and the girls. Her face softened and bent down to the girl's eyes level. Ashley and Sophia hugged her, whimpering and crying. It broke Kiara's heart to see them so scared and looked up at Carol, seeing the apprehensive look on the woman's face. It was a mix of relief and anger.

"Let's go Sophia" Coral said guiding her daughter away from Kiara and Ashley. Sophia lowered her head as she followed her mother away from her friend, tears sliding down her cheeks. Ashley clung to Kiara, watching her leave and sniffed. "Is Carol mad?" she asked softly.

"I don't know sweetie" Kiara said slowly, giving a half lie. She had an idea that Carol is pissed off at her for interfering but did she really expect her to watch from the sidelines and not do anything?

Ashley nodded slowly and lowered her head, biting her lower lip. "Okay…" she said softly and slowly headed to their tent, not seeing Carl coming towards her.

"Ash? Are you okay?" Carl asked softly, worried about her. The girl nodded slowly and hugged him, whimpering. He returned it, rubbing her back gently and a little awkwardly. He didn't like seeing his friends upset.

"Kiara are you okay? That was scary" Amy said, looking up at the older woman. Kiara looked at the girl and sighed, imagining Beth right now. She missed her family and prayed they are okay. She wanted to find them but felt torn as well. She didn't want to leave the group and neither did Ashley. If things didn't work out here, should she take Ashley and head out to the farm? What if it was destroyed?

Kiara took a second to respond but gave a small nod. "Yeah…I'm okay. I'm…sorry if I scared you" she said, thinking of the looks she got from Lori and the others, especially Shane. The looks on their faces spoke volumes. Who is Kiara really?

"I wasn't scared, shocked but not scared" Amy said. "He had it coming to him." A look of bitterness and anger flashed on her face. "He's not real nice."

"No, he's not" Dale said walking towards them. "He's not a man at all." He slipped his hand over his head, sliding his hat off in the same movement. "Carol will come around."

"I hope so…" Kiara said before excusing herself. She headed to her tent and climbed in. She needed some time to clear her head before she went off on someone else, like Glenn or the kids. She felt frustrated as she lay down on her bag, thinking. She wanted to kill Ed. The urge to take him out into the woods and do away with him grew in the pit of her stomach.

The most common problem with being an Assassin, she knew, is the urge to take pleasure of a kill. Make the target squirm and beg as their life blood trickled out of them, watch them die. That urge pushed against her mental walls, urging her to give in…to take Ed's worthless life.

Killing hasn't been a real problem for Kiara as she always switched off her emotions as she worked, forcing herself to be cold and ruthless. Should she give in this one time? Take pleasure in killing Ed so his family wouldn't suffer anymore?

TBC


	5. Chapter 4

Assassin vs Walkers

By Springborn

Author's Note: Thank you for the reviews everyone! It means a lot to me and I'm glad you're enjoying it. Let me know if I need to improve on anything, thank you!

Chapter Four

The early morning mist surrounded their boots as the group of three walked onto the hallway, weapons drawn. Kiara looked around, making out the shapes of the vehicles that had been abandoned weeks ago since the dead started rising. A crow cawed at the people from the trees, hopping from one side of the branch to the next. Glenn shivered at the sight.

"Crows and blackbirds always creeped me out" Glenn said, pulling on his baseball cap with his free hand as the other held a baseball bat, after much urging and nagging from Kiara to keep himself armed.

T-Dog chuckled a bit. "Man, seriously? They wouldn't hurt you" he said walking next to Glenn. "They're more wary of us than we are of them."

Glenn snorted. "You haven't seen the movie Birds, have ya?" he grumbled.

Kiara chuckled at the two's banter, keeping her Glock pulled out. "I think they're beautiful with their sleek feathers and little hops" she said. Glenn stared at her as if she had two heads.

"So…tell me again why we're here? So early in the morning?" Glenn asked, swallowing. "We cleared out your van of everything worth saving."

"I want to check the area out. Maybe something was missed" Kiara said as she had suggested this trip two days ago and much to Shane's displeasure. She had to resist doing the jig because she had won that round. Plus she was getting cabin fever from staying in the camp for so long and not having a real chance to stretch much.

Glenn and T-Dog shrugged a bit at that as the three kept walking down the street. Two walkers stumbled into their line of sight, not yet seeing the group. Kiara moved towards the one on her left and got behind it, stabbing her blade into the skull, killing it. T-Dog and Glenn took down the last, letting the corpse drop.

"We're here" T-Dog said seeing the wreckage of the van. Kiara moved towards it and winced, seeing the smashed in windows and doors. Boxes of food smashed along the road and ruined clothes beyond saving. She got on her knees and looked under the van, not seeing anything till her eyes landed on a doll that belonged to Ashley. She grabbed it and put it into her bag.

"Man…this is what you and the others dragged Ashley and me out of?" Kira sighed a bit and shook her head.

"Yeah it was" T-Dog said and shook his head. "It was rough going." He looked around the area and frowned. Did I hear something? He thought. He didn't hear it again and shrugged it off. The fog finally cleared up, showing more of the abandon cars. "Keep looking?"

"Yeah, just a bit longer" Glenn said picking up a broken arm rest and put it down again. He stopped as he heard a hum of a vehicle coming. "Guys, hide." Kiara and T-Dog heard the urgency in his voice and hid behind two different cars.

Glenn watched from behind an overturned car, seeing a large black van pull up. Three men stepped out, wearing black suits that screamed fresh and clean. That came a surprise to him as most survivors didn't have clothes that clean. It also gave him hope as well. Maybe they were from the government? "He-umpf!" Kiara's hand covered his mouth, pressing a finger to her lips and shook her head, her face stern.

The young Korean looked confused by the look on Kiara's face, it was cold, far colder than he had seen before and it unnerved him a bit. Kiara looked at the men with such distrust and hate, Glenn wondered if there is a history between them.

"Hey Chuck, did you hear that?" The buff man, Brandon, asked as he looked around. He thought he had heard something.

Chuck shook his head, narrowing his eyes. "Nah, probably those geeks wondering about" he grumbled as he spotted the van. "Chris, Brandon, over here. I found it" Chris, the drop dead gorgeous blond, joined his buds and headed to the destroyed van.

"Tsk, knowing Kiara, they're still alive" Chris said. "The bitch wouldn't leave the brat alone. The sooner we find them, kill the brat and leave Kiara to me." He smirked cruelly. "I want to make her scream."

T-Dog looked at Kiara, confused. He didn't understand why these men wanted Kiara and Ashley but it wasn't good.

Kiara picked up a rock, testing the weight of it and looked to her right, seeing a car near a small pile up. Her eyes dodged to the men and threw the rock hard through the window, smashing it. She quickly ducked down besides Glenn.

"Hey, over there" Brandon said and headed towards the sound, gun drawn. Chris and Chuck followed after him.

Glenn nodded to the trees and made his way towards them, staying in a crouch position. Kiara and T-Dog followed behind, staying silent. Both men had series of questions for their friend.

Kiara frowned as she kept down. She had hoped, prayed, that they have died in the attack at the Whitehouse but her prayers haven't been answered. Her stomach twisted and churned as she slipped into the trees with her friends. Chris and his lackey's weren't stupid and she knew that but hoped their arrogance would have landed them in trouble.

"Kiara, who are they? How do they know you? And why are they after you and Ashley?" Glenn asked, firing question after question. He couldn't get that cold look Kiara wore when she saw them.

"Yeah, they seem to know you and Ashley" T-Dog said. "Are they a threat to the camp? Shane isn't going to be happy."

Kiara didn't answer right away, walking still. "I used to work with them" she said slowly. "They worked at the white house but they'll stab you in the back if you're not of any use to them." She ran a hand through her hair roughly, feeling like a caged animal. "They want me dead because I had killed Brandon's brother. He was going to kill the president."

"Damn…but why Ashley? She's just a child" T-Dog protested. "What could she have done to them?" He walked alongside of Kiara and Glenn, trying to put as much distance between them and the highway.

"I don't know" Kiara said honestly, biting her lower lip. "I'm scared to what the answer might be." She treated Ashley like she was her child and felt protective of her. She swallowed, brows furrowed. "Let's just get back to camp and call a meeting."

"Okay."

"Hey, they're back" Amy said looking up from the book she had been reading. She was sitting next to Andrea and Dale.

"Kiara!" Ashley ran to the group and threw her arms around Kiara's waist, hugging her tightly. "What took you so long?"

Kiara stroked her hair gently. "Sorry baby girl" she said. "It took longer than we thought." She looked up as Shane marched towards them. "Shane, call a meeting."

"What for? Something happened at the highway?" Shane asked, frowning.

"Yes" Kiara said. Her eyes trailed over the faces of the campers, lingering a little longer than normal on Daryl and quickly darted them away from the handsome redneck. "It can't wait." Her tone urgent and left no room for arguing.

Ten seconds later the whole group sat around the fire, waiting for Kiara to speak about the trip to the highway.

"So speak girl, what happened?" Shane pressed. "Any of you get bit?"

Ashley looked at Kiara, her eyes wide in fear. Kiara shook her head, stroking the girls back to calm her. "No, no one got bit" she said and looked at him. "We saw three people on the highway, people I used to work for back at the white house."

"Do you think they can help us?" Lori asked immediately. "Maybe they can tell us why the dead started to rise." Kiara shook her head. Lori frowned angrily. "What do you mean? We have to try!"

"Lori, calm down" Dale said gently. "Let her explain." Dale turned his gaze towards Kiara, nodding his head to urge her on.

"They want us dead" Kiara said, holding Ashley close. The young girl let out a whimper and buried her face into the older woman's shoulder. "I killed Brandon's brother as he was going to kill the president. Now, Brandon and his two friends have been trying to kill me for a few months. I don't know the reasons for Ashley."

"Are you sure they want you dead?" Amy asked worriedly. "Maybe you just heard them wrong?" She looked hopeful.

"Sadly we didn't hear them wrong" T-Dog answered, rubbing the back of his head. "They want to kill them."

"I can see Kiara but Ashley? She's a child" Lori stated, sliding a cool look at Kiara. "What if they come here searching? Do we leave?"

Shane snorted. "Nah, we ain't leaving" he said and looked at Kiara. "We can keep Ashley here, hid her if they show up."

"And what about Kiara? Force her to leave, kick her out?" Merle sneered. "Man, that's just invitin' more trouble." He leaned against the log. "She won't leave the girl." Daryl nodded in agreement at that. He had seen how protective of Kiara is when it came to Ashley.

Kiara glared at Lori and Shane. "If I go, Ashley comes with me" she snapped.

"You're not her mother," Lori said cruelly. "What gives you the right to decide?" Ashley whimpered and clung to Kiara tightly.

"I have more right to her than you do" Kiara growled, standing up as she kept Ashley at her side. "She stays with me."

Jim jumped up. "Wait, this is getting too upsetting" he pleaded. "Kiara is right though, we have no right to take Ashley away from the only family she has left. We need to calm down and think. Maybe we can find a place to keep them safe?"

Jacqui chuckled. "Yeah? Where?" she asked and moved her arm around them. "In the trees? Jim, there's not many hiding spots."

"Leaving the hiding part to me" Kiara said confidently. She knew more about hiding herself and her tracks than anyone here besides Merle and Daryl. Her gaze turned cool. "Let me make myself clear. If you ever suggest me leaving Ashley behind or you taking her away from me, Shane and Lori, we'll leave."

Dale looked at her and sighed. "We don't want you to go, Kiara" he soothed. "We're just concerned. What will happen if they find out you are here?"

Kiara looked at them calmly. She didn't want to startle them, especially the kids but they had to know that Walkers aren't the only threat to them. "Kill you" she said.

Sophia and Carl started to cry, holding onto their mothers.

"Don't tell them that" Lori yelled, holding Carl close. "They're children. They have enough to deal with Walkers. They don't need to start thinking that humans are a threat."

Merle barked out a laugh, shaking his head. "Girl that's the funniest joke ever told" he said sarcastically. "You must be really stupid if yer think that walkers are the only threat to us."

"Humans, you'll find, are more of a threat than walkers" Daryl deadpanned. "Y'all need to fuckin wake up."

TBC


	6. Chapter 5

Assassin vs Walkers

By Springborn

Chapter Five

Ashley whimpered as she clung to her bear, twisting and turning on hers sleep, dreaming of the bad men from the White House. When Kiara and the others discovered them, she had been feeling ill. She wanted her dad; she wanted this nightmare to be over. She sniffled and whimpered. "Daddy…" she cried into her pillow. "Kiara…" The warmth of her sleeping bag usually comforted her but not this time.

The morning dew on the dirt and grass made walking through the campsite a little slippery as Daryl walked, heading to his tent when he heard a whimper from Kiara's and Ashley's tent. He stopped and leaned forward, frowning. Was the girl crying? He bent down slowly and popped his head through the opening. He saw the small form of Ashley, curled up and clinging to her bear. "Daddy…Kiara…" she mumbled again.

He watched and gave a soft sigh, entering the tent and touched her shoulder, giving it a shake. "Girl, wake up" he said "Yer having a nightmare."

Ashley jolted awake, her eyes snapping open and looked up at Daryl. Her chest rose and fell as tears stained her cheeks. "Daryl" she said and wiped her eyes slowly. "Sorry…"

"What are you sorry for?" Daryl asked, looking at her. "Can't control them."

Ashley nodded. "Yeah" she said and sniffed, looking around. The sleeping bag next to her was empty and didn't hear Kiara outside. "Where is everyone?"

"Eating breakfast. Come on, Kiara will have my hide if I don't get food into ya" Daryl said and climbed back out of the tent. Ashley scrambled out after him and looked around. She saw Lori and the othersof the camp. She waved at Sophia and Carl, smiling. Her stomach growled hungrily and headed to Carol, hoping to get food.

"Daryl? Where is Kiara?" Ashley asked, not seeing the woman. Kiara had been on edge since the people from the White House showed up two days ago and often went on her own. She never knew why.

Daryl turned to look at her. "Says she's scouting" he said shrugging. He wasn't sure what the woman was up to but didn't pry.

"Again? That girl is going to lead them right to us" Shane growled from his spot on the ground, eating his breakfast.

"Ease up man" T-Dog said, sitting down next to Dale with his plate. "She knows what she's doing. Kiara has dealt with them before."

Lori shook her head as she picked at her food, eating slowly. "Yes she has but they're still here" she said. She didn't trust the woman still and wondered if Rick would have trusted her. Knowing her late husband as she did, he would have.

"The chances of them being alive and ending up here was one percent" Dale said. "We got the unlucky draw. We'll deal with it when the time comes. We just have to stay calm."

The group mumbled and nodded slowly, resuming their breakfast. Shane wiped his mouth and got up, bringing his plate to the wash basin. Since they found Kiara and Ashley at the crash site, it's been rough. Yes, they helped but Shane knew she was hiding something.

Ashley ate her food slowly, her shoulders slumped. She could still remember seeing her father as a walker. It terrified her and knew she was lucky to have Kiara with her. She wondered if they still had plans to go to Mr. Greene's farm now they met the others. Maybe they could even take the group with them! She hoped so. "When do you think Kiara will be back?" she asked, her question directed at the adults.

Andrea shook her head. "Hopefully soon" she said and stroked her hair. "She'll be okay. Kiara is a strong woman. She'll be back before you know it." Ashley nodded and smiled. Andrea grinned at the girl. "You better eat your food. You'll need your energy."

"Okay" Ashley said grinning and resumed eating.

Dale chuckled as the two interacted, glad they were getting along. His mind wandered to Kiara, a sigh escaping his lips. He just hoped she was okay. He didn't like the idea of those men being so close to camp. It puts everyone in danger.

###

Kiara sat in a tree, staring down at the road. She had been there for three hours now, sitting in the same tree. It has a good view point of the area, giving her plain sight in case Chris and his goons showed up. She had been twitchy since they showed up and found the wreckage, hoping it was enough to throw them off their trail and not find the camp site.

The sound of a car pulling up made Kiara look up, recognizing the vehicle immediately as it stopped behind an abandon truck. Chris stepped out and looked around. "Alright, spread out but stay in sight. Kiara is alive and we will find her" he said.

The men spread out, staying in ear shot as they combed through the vehicles. Chuck stared at the railings and moved towards them. Kiara stiffened as she watched him near the edge. Panic tugged at her insides but pushed it down. They didn't leave any evidence that night; she hoped but really doubted the group had been thinking about being followed.

"Brandon, Chris, I think I found something" Brandon called out, jumping over the railing and followed the trail downhill. He bent down and picked up a small sneaker, a child's sneaker. "Looks like Ashley's."

Kiara swore heavily under her breath as she could vaguely make out Ashley's spare sneaker. She knew it was hers as she was the only girl in the group with flowered sneakers.

Chris walked over and looked at the sneaker. "It's hers. Looks like they went this way" he said and his lips twisted into a cruel smirk. "Boys, grab your bags. We're going hunting."

"Shit…" Kiara said, thinking of how to divert them. She heard Walkers shambling in the bushes and smirked. It would work. Standing up and bent her knees, jumping to the next branch near the walkers, landing silently. She reached up and broke a good size branch, throwing it near the men.

"Hey, what was that?" Brandon asked, hearing a crashing sound from the bushes next to him.

Chris shrugged. "Probably nothing, ignore it" he said and started down the hill, nearly walking into the walkers that started to make their way to the sound. "Fuck!" He and the guys pulled out their guns, shooting.

Kiara chuckled as she climbed down and started running away from the gunfire. It would keep them occupied for a while and most likely attract more if they weren't smart. She pushed herself, wanting to put as much space between them, needing to warn the others.

It took her ten minutes before Kiara could see the outline of the camp.

Sophia looked up from playing with her doll, eyes widening a bit. "Kiara's back!" she said, climbing to feet.

"Girl, where have you been?" Shane asked, marching towards her. He was beyond pissed. "You've been gone since this early morning."

Kiara looked at Shane but ignored the question, heading out to find a drunk and high Merle Dixon with Daryl cleaning his bow a few feet away. "Merle, get off your ass and get straight" she said.

"Go fuck yourself girlie" Merle laughed, taking a long drink of his bottle. "I'm relaxing here." He leaned against a dead trunk, his face red and splotchy from the booze.

Kiara frowned and glanced at Daryl and looked at a bucket of water near the fire pit. "Don't have time for this" she said, ignoring Shane and the others that had followed her to the brother's tents. Grabbing the bucket, she dumped the cold water on top of Merle's head, soaking him.

The man sputtered, jumping to his feet and dropped the bottle. Merle looked ready to murder someone, namely Kiara. "The fuckin hell Kiara! What is your problem?" he snapped.

Daryl looked away, hiding a smile from the events. He hadn't seen many people stand up to his older brother.

"Look, get drunk on your own time but right now we have a problem" Kiara growled, getting the groups attention.

"What problem?" Jacquie asked slowly, looking worried.

Ashley whimpered softly, holding her bear. Kiara looked at her before looking at the others. "They're here. They found one of Ashley's shoes on the trail" she said.

"What? But they don't know we're here for sure!" Glenn protested weakly, shifting on his feet.

"They don't but it won't take them long to find us" Shane said and turned to look at Kiara. "What are you going to do?"

Kiara stared at him. "Traps" she said. "We lay traps farther down where they are and it will divert them or bring them straight into walkers."

"There's no guarantee that will work" Lori said, raising a brow. "What if the walkers will come straight here?"

"It won't come to that" Kiara assured the woman. "I know what to do to divert them." She turned to look at the soaked Merle and a slightly amused but interested Daryl. "I need your help setting the traps up and you two are the best here."

Merle nodded. "Fine" he grunted. "We'll help but you owe me a fuckin' drink." He grabbed his gun and his bag. "Show us."

"This is going to be interesting" Daryl murmured and grabbed his crossbow and some rope.

Kiara smirked and looked at Ashley. "You stay here with Dale and the others, okay?" she said, bending down in front of her.

Ashley nodded slowly. "Okay" she murmured. "Please come back."

"We will" Kiara said smiling, patting her head gently and hugged her close. She stood up and grabbed her bag, turning to look at the brothers. "Let's go." Merle headed to the woods with Daryl not too far behind. Kiara kept up easily with them, her steps lightly and soundless.

"So what's the plan?" Merle asked.

Kiara grinned. "Fishing." She pulled out some wire from her bag. "I'm the bait."

Author's Note: Thank you for the reviews everyone. I really appreciate it and I hope everyone had a good Christmas and New Year's. I struggled a bit with this chapter and debated on scrapping it all together. Please let me know how you all liked it :)


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